Morphometry of an ischemic lesion of cat spinal cord

Profiles in random electron micrographs of anterior gray matter of normal and ischemic cat spinal cord were measured with a planimetric computer. Analysis of 5600 area measurements revealed the following differences. Mitochondria of neuron cell bodies, axons, axon terminals and astrocytic processes were two to three times larger after ischemia. However, only 15% of mitochondria of axons and axon terminals and 5% of astrocytic processes lost their matrix density and pattern of cristae, compared to 49% of mitochondria of neuron cell bodies. Ischemia caused no significant changes in mean sizes of axons or axon terminals. Lysosomes in neurons were unchanged. The mean size of astrocytic processes increased more than threefold.